Thoughts on Teen Titans GO! to the Movies – Spoilers ahead

**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES. IF YOU’VE NOT WATCHED THE MOVIE YET AND YOU WANT TO AVOID MILD SPOILERS, STOP READING.**

This morning I went to the cinema to watch two comic book movies. The first was Ant-Man and the Wasp, which I’ve already discussed on It’s A Stampede!.

The second movie, which I’m about to discuss, was Teen Titans GO! to the Movies. This is a big(ger) budget spin-off from the animated TV series, Teen Titans GO! and…

…it is A HECK OF A LOT OF FUN!

Watching this movie I laughed and laughed and laughed. In fact, I laughed more at this film than I did watching Ant-Man and the Wasp.

It’s clear that Teen Titans GO! to the Movies is aimed at a younger demographic, as the story is paper thin and the running time is pretty short. However, if you’re a comic book/super hero fan, but you don’t have kids, go see this movie anyway as it is just a really fun piece of escapism.

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies has been called ‘the Deadpool of kids movies’ and I’d say this is a fair assessment, because the film is filled with in-jokes, many of which are aimed at an older audience. I don’t mean because these jokes are smutty (it’s really not that kind of film), but because they make reference to movies, shows and comics that younger audiences probably won’t have seen.

So, there are references to Superman: The Movie, Batman ’89, Batman: The Animated Series, Green Lantern, Back to the Future and many more. In fact, half the fun of this movie is in the constant flow of jokes that make light of past films, especially those based on DC characters.

And I mean, especially those based on DC characters.

This film isn’t afraid to poke fun at some of DC’s past or the fact that it’s chief villain looks like a certain smart-mouth Marvel character. It’s also not afraid to chuck in a cameo that has no real place in a DC movie.

Does the film add anything to the super hero genre?

Actually, yes it kind of does.

Firstly, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies opens up the Teen Titans to a wider audience, while also offering up background cameos for lesser-known DC characters. It’s nice to see characters that don’t always get to appear on screen getting a little bit of screen time here and there, even if it is just for background extras.

Secondly, the movie understands that audiences are now very familiar with the idea that comic book films (and streaming) have taken over the world, so presents a story to match. So, yeah, there is a story, it’s just less of a focus than all of the other stuff that’s going on… including musical numbers.

Really, really weird musical numbers.

The music in this film put a huge smile on my face. In particular, there’s a very bizarre number about half-way through the film where the Titans are joined by some animals. The whole sequence is HILARIOUS.

I really can’t say anything bad about Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, as I genuinely enjoyed it. The movie straddles a fine line by trying to appeal to kids and adults, yet pulls it off perfectly by providing laughs for the older generation and the teamwork/friendship theme for the youngsters.

Oh, and there’s a mid-credit scene which should please those not quite sold on this particular iteration of the Teen Titans.

Teen Titans GO! to the Movies is perfect for kids, comic book fans and parents who are being forced to take their offspring to the pictures during the school holidays. Just load up on popcorn and enjoy it for what it is – I did.